717 image critique(help please)

ok...heres my story. for easter i want to give my girlfriend a picture to hang in her new office(which she has recently been complaining has bare walls). this is my first time really doing anything other than snapshots. i used an elaborate set-up including a black bed sheet for a backdrop, hung with safety pins from a ceiling fan(behind the light, so that light could be used). i also used that same black sheet outside in my driveway with soup cans keeping it up on the roof of a car. so some of the images used natural light and some used inside lighting with a flash(i think its obvious which ones are which) could everyone please give me some suggestions on these images? other than the first shot(entitled FL31-edt) they have no editing done yet. do you think any of these shots are worth keeping and printing? any suggestions on how to improve them with PS7? if they arent even worth working with, please tell me that too. the lillys are still alive and i could give it another try. since this is for a gift, i would really like it to be as nice as possible. thanks in advance for any help.

http://www.pbase.com/xzacx/flower

i just added one more image with some work in photoshop(FL10-edit.jpg) thanks again

XzacX said:

http://www.pbase.com/xzacx/flower

Click to expand...

feel free to tell me i need to go try again too if you dont like any of them.

XzacX said:

XzacX said:

http://www.pbase.com/xzacx/flower

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

The final edit looks great! She should be proud to hang that in her office.

XzacX said:

ok...heres my story. for easter i want to give my girlfriend a
picture to hang in her new office(which she has recently been
complaining has bare walls). this is my first time really doing
anything other than snapshots. i used an elaborate set-up
including a black bed sheet for a backdrop, hung with safety pins
from a ceiling fan(behind the light, so that light could be used).
i also used that same black sheet outside in my driveway with soup
cans keeping it up on the roof of a car. so some of the images
used natural light and some used inside lighting with a flash(i
think its obvious which ones are which) could everyone please give
me some suggestions on these images? other than the first
shot(entitled FL31-edt) they have no editing done yet. do you
think any of these shots are worth keeping and printing? any
suggestions on how to improve them with PS7? if they arent even
worth working with, please tell me that too. the lillys are still
alive and i could give it another try. since this is for a gift, i
would really like it to be as nice as possible. thanks in advance
for any help.

http://www.pbase.com/xzacx/flower

Click to expand...

--
Ken
DSC-F717, PS 7.0, Epson 2200 and One Understanding Wife
http://www.pbase.com/kenmelmax

First, I am not a professional. I would like to see a shot from lower looking up and include the bud in focus also. Lengthen your depth of field. I have taken several flower pictures like this and it gives a whole new feel to the image. Maybe some blue sky behind it for a change or just keep the black (it looks nice, too). try it and see how you like it.
Theresa

kenmelmax said:

XzacX said:

ok...heres my story. for easter i want to give my girlfriend a
picture to hang in her new office(which she has recently been
complaining has bare walls). this is my first time really doing
anything other than snapshots. i used an elaborate set-up
including a black bed sheet for a backdrop, hung with safety pins
from a ceiling fan(behind the light, so that light could be used).
i also used that same black sheet outside in my driveway with soup
cans keeping it up on the roof of a car. so some of the images
used natural light and some used inside lighting with a flash(i
think its obvious which ones are which) could everyone please give
me some suggestions on these images? other than the first
shot(entitled FL31-edt) they have no editing done yet. do you
think any of these shots are worth keeping and printing? any
suggestions on how to improve them with PS7? if they arent even
worth working with, please tell me that too. the lillys are still
alive and i could give it another try. since this is for a gift, i
would really like it to be as nice as possible. thanks in advance
for any help.

http://www.pbase.com/xzacx/flower

Click to expand...

--
Ken
DSC-F717, PS 7.0, Epson 2200 and One Understanding Wife
http://www.pbase.com/kenmelmax

Click to expand...

XzacX said:

http://www.pbase.com/xzacx/flower

Click to expand...

I really like FL10. Very nice shot, and I think the flower on the black BG is a classy look for an office shot. If I were to alter anything I'd try to use softer light, or pull the light back farther to avoid the shadows from the 9Oh man, try to remember plant bio class) ...stamen (?) on the pedals.

Still a very nice shot. I'm sure once matted and framed it will look very pro!

Dale
--
Dale K. Wagler ~ Brentwood, California (I moved ...again!)
http://www.pbase.com/dwagler

could someone please help explain how yo lengthen my depth of field? thanks in advance and thanks for the help to everyone.

itsT said:

First, I am not a professional. I would like to see a shot from
lower looking up and include the bud in focus also. Lengthen your
depth of field. I have taken several flower pictures like this and
it gives a whole new feel to the image. Maybe some blue sky behind
it for a change or just keep the black (it looks nice, too). try
it and see how you like it.
Theresa

Click to expand...

Like I said before, I am new to photography, also. DOF is your A on you camera Setting. You push down the "dial" wheel to change it. Turn the dial and press it again to set it. You might want to start a little "cheat sheet" to remember all of this. It is hard when you are new. I might get this backwards but you can look at the photo and tell which is the correct depth you want. I THINK that when you set the A to read 8 then you have the maximum depth of field. 2 would be a shallow depth of field. I might be backwards on this. I don't have my "cheat sheet" with me. Shoot some of both and you will be able to tell. Then you can start your cheat sheet. I found that the book was to hard to flip through every time I needed to know something (which was usually the same things over and over since I haven't learned it yet) The A also lets you control how much light comes into the lense 2 is wide open and 8 is a tiny hole to let a smaller amount of light come in. (again, I think) I am sure that someone will correct me if I am wrong. For your sake, I would hope so! ha ha

Hope this helps. another little tip on taking flower photos. If you can take them outside in natural light either in the early morning or late afternoon, you will get much better color (not using a flash).

hope this helps!
T

XzacX said:

itsT said:

First, I am not a professional. I would like to see a shot from
lower looking up and include the bud in focus also. Lengthen your
depth of field. I have taken several flower pictures like this and
it gives a whole new feel to the image. Maybe some blue sky behind
it for a change or just keep the black (it looks nice, too). try
it and see how you like it.
Theresa

Click to expand...

Click to expand...